Of Children and Shadows
by Zhe-Ubermensch
Summary: Dawn was the name given to her by the only physical soul in the world who could see her. Now she's stuck with Didi while Vincenzo finds a way to bring her back to the Third Dimension. But is it all that bad when the kid comes to adore you? My take on the events that occurred before Contrast took place. I worked long and hard on this one, so I would appreciate a well thought review.


_**Ok, I have an ideaaaaaaa...(again)**_

_**SINCE I will write a story from this, I thought you should check it out because the concept is FABULOUS! The game is called Contrast, for the Xbox One, if you can't play it, look it up, the storyline is great and I already have five story ideas for it, just sayin... how could Vinchenzo (spelling URGH) shift? What happened to Aurora, how could she shift?**_

_**-Artistican**_

* * *

_Hon, you are a FOUNTAIN of inspiration._

_Behold! My take on the nonsensical, dark world of Contrast!_

* * *

Aurora Rose could never have dreamed that, from the moment she was born, her life was doomed to last an eternity within the shadows.

Literally.

At the same moment that it all went to Hell, Didi had been born into the world, crying, screaming, kicking. "Dawn!" she seemed to be shrieking. "Dawn! Dawn! Dawn!" Her shadow thrashed. Her shadow merged with a doctor who took her into her arms, and the act went horribly, horribly wrong.

The act had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Artur Iliescu could not bring her back. The audience members were beginning to murmur among themselves, but she could not see them, only their shadows. She could not feel them, only the cold wisp of non existent flesh where her hand would have passed through, had she still been on the same dimensional plane. But she could hear them. She could hear them loud and clear, and she heard every voice, every whisper, every dread- filled speculation as to where the magician's assistant had gone.

Aurora screamed at the same time the audience finally pieced together the trick had failed. They did not hear her. To them, Aurora no longer existed.

She was the shadow beneath their feet.

Aurora cried out, pleaded, begged to be seen, begged for whatever cruel trick God was playing on her to cease immediately, but she was heard by no one. She pounded on the wall next to her bitterly, and she began to phase with it.

Aurora writhed in panicked agony as her physical body melded with the wall, until she truly was a shadow that could be seen on the wall to the third dimension.

But no one pays attention to shadows.

She ran to the curtain as it was closing, but the way that the lighting was set up put a wall between her and her master, Artur. But she was not deterred, too lost in her frenzy to notice. She dashed through the blockade, behind the curtain, to Artur.

"RUINED!" he screamed. "WHAT IN FUCK'S NAME HAPPENED TO AURORA!?"

Stage workers scurried left and right to clean the props from the show and hastily pack them away to be escorted to his secret workshop in the clock tower. Their shadows on the wall shoved Aurora around ruthlessly, until she was collapsed and sobbing, all her voice concentrated on reaching out to the frantic man who had cursed her to this fate.

"Artur... Artur, _mon ami..._"

Her shadow's hand touched his shadow's leg. In the physical world, a breeze cooled his skin there, and he glared around for the cause of the nuisance before darting off to his carriage, which had been hastily prepared, horses pawing, ready to run if need be. He pushed his driver aside and hissed, "I'm driving. We have to get back as soon as possible, I- I need to take a look at my notes, there must be a way to undo this... this CATASTROPHE!"

When Aurora attempted to open the door, back to a physical state but still invisible, her hand passed right through. She could not touch third dimensional objects that were interact-able. She thrust her fist against it bitterly, and her shadow melded again with it, inside next to the lantern that lit the interior. She gasped. It still felt strange, and she was so very frightened, but her shock devolved all logical reason, spurring her to act without sincere thought and calculation.

It was to her luck that she had chose to be so angry. Artur whipped the horses into action, and they were off into the cold night, the still bewildered audience far behind as they demanded their refund, only to find the man had vanished. Had she been of sound mind, she would still be wandering the stage, scared beyond her wits and left there.

Aurora tried all she could to get his attention, waving her hands in front of his face, screaming at the top of her lungs, shaking the cart with her shadow, even knocking his hat away, but his concern was solely on finding her again, so much that these efforts were fruitless ventures.

She threw herself back and sobbed on the seat, until she'd tired herself to pure exhaustion, and fell asleep.

The carriage rattled on.

* * *

"No, no, no, it-it's all WRONG!" Artur yelled back in his secret workshop. His notes offered no solution to retrieving his assistant. He knew how to retrieve objects from different dimensions and send them back. Even living creatures- that, he could handle. Objects from his _own_ dimension? No problem. Through and back again.

He'd never had a living subject from the third dimension. From his own dimension, he'd chosen the only willing subject, Aurora.

And for some reason, she could not return. He could not _get _her to return, he could not _beg _her to return, he could not _force _her to return. It did not make sense. It should be the same as retrieving non-living and living entities from the different world, and yet, it was not. Even the fail-safe retrieval had failed. And if he could not have Aurora as his assistant, then there was no other. Aurora had been with him since the beginning of his acts, and he was not about to reteach his secrets to some _nobody. _It _had _to be Aurora!

He tore the notes in a fit of rage and hit his shadow on the wall.

The shadow flinched, rubbing its hand where it had been hit.

Artur's physical form had not done that. Only his shadow. He gaped. He stared. He gasped. He knew.

He exclaimed, "Aurora!", and the shadow sank to its knees, clasping its hands and shaking them. Begging him. He knelt his own shadow to take her hands in his, and he felt the cool breeze again, but this time, he _knew_.

"Aurora, _ma fleur, _can't you speak!? What do you see!?"

The shadow's mouth flapped, but there was no sound, only the smell of smoke and mint. Aurora's breath. Artur clutched at his hair and paced.

"I- I've taken a look at everything, all logical possibilities, all methods on getting you back, b-but none of it is working, it's all worthless shit now!"

The shadow sprang to its feet and looked as though it was screaming, head thrust towards the sky, mouth wide open.

"D-Aurora, please, p-panicking won't do you any good-"

His air supply was suddenly cut off. His throat was cold. His shadow's throat was clasped by Aurora's, and she was motioning wildly to who knows what, pleading angrily for some answer to her dilemma before Artur was released.

"I- ah! I- I know this is bad, _ma fleur, _but I'm _working _on it! P-please, you _must _have patience!"

A huff of wind. The shadow turned its back angrily, and vanished into the dark side of the room.

"Aurora!" Artur cried. "Aurora, come back, I- I need you to help me... I need you..."

Aurora's breeze was gone. The sun was well above the horizon, and all shadows were eliminated from the room. Aurora was not present. Dawn had left.

Artur swore loudly and pounded on his table. This time, his shadow did not react. It was his own.

"Aurora!"

* * *

"_Non, non! Je suis perdu! Je suis condamné, je suis ruiné! Putain Artur, vous et vos medlings multidimensionnels! Vas te faire encule dans le cercle le plus profond de l'enfer et de retour! Putain, merde, merde!_"

She chanted her tirade bitterly as she wandered the streets of Paris alone, the shadows her only company. The streets were bare besides. It was eerie, to see such a full city emptied of its physical inhabitants. Aurora dreamed as though she now resided in a world of spirits, and every other living soul besides her own had been vanquished.

But she knew, truly, it was the other way around. She bawled. She laughed. She swore. She was hot, and felt cold. And before she knew it, she had lost her way, and her mind. She devolved to the most basic of urges, and became the monster that she saw in Artur's blood, and laughed loudly to no one, for no reason other than to make noise.

This was the world. This was reality. _This was home._

* * *

_**Seven years later**_

* * *

It had been too long. Aurora had forgotten even her own name, though she would never admit it. The one she gave herself was constantly changing. River. Theodora. Voilette. Maude.

It had been too long. She remembered not Artur, not the performances they once held together, on and off stage, not her family, even not what love meant. She loved nothing. Love was stupid, love made you weak, love tears you down and pieces you back together, but it's all wrong and horrible, and you are never the same again.

She hissed at any shadows that got too close, and although their physical owners knew not why, they strayed away from her, unaware that she was even there. It was only the cool breeze that scared them off.

Without thinking much of it, Maude saw a little girl playing alone in a corner of an alleyway. She propped herself up on the opposite wall and smirked, watching the kid play. It was cute, and a sight that she had missed. She snickered.

The girl glanced up.

"Who are you?" Didi asked.

Aurora stared back, expression unmoving so as not to crack her makeup, but inside, her world as she knew it had instantly been shattered by being spoken to. After some time, she yanked her gaze away from the little girl.

"_Oublie. N'a pas d'importance._" The sound of her own voice surprised her. It was deeper than she remembered, much more gravelly too. The girl stood up.

"Yes it does," Didi countered. "I wanna know. I wanna be your friend. I'm Dorothy. But you can call me Didi."

Again, Aurora stared with masked shock, but turned away quickly.

"_Bon pour vous, enfant. Il est tard. Rentrer à la maison. Je n'ai pas besoin de toi._"

Didi huffed with annoyance. "I'm right where I need to be, if you don't mind. Don't you want a friend? No one else can see you-"

"_Écoutez, vous petite chienne, je-_" Aurora stopped before she could insult the child further, her expression once of anger turning to shock. This kid could _see _her. She could see the kid! She wasn't just a shadow! _This kid knows I can't be seen!? She can HEAR ME?! _She glared at Didi with a sideways glance, not looking at her directly. "How do you- You can... _see _me? I- I can see _you!_ And you know that no one else c- how- why-?"

She trailed off, mouth open, staring at the small, thin girl before her. Didi grinned, knowing she had Aurora snared in her trap.

"Well, since you won't tell me your name, I'll give you one. But first, I... have to think of one... Shouldn't take long, I promise!"

Aurora stiffened, straightening and glaring at Didi as she skipped away. But before she was out of sight, she turned around and called, "Well, aren't you coming? My mom's at the Ghost Note. She sings _beautifully._ You should come listen!"

"Hrmph," Aurora snorted. "_Tenez-fille._"

Didi shrugged, laughing, running off. It was hardly a second after she was out of sight that Aurora darted after her, babbling in her native tongue for the "stick girl" to wait, please, for the love of _God_.

It had been too long. Since _anything._

* * *

"You told me you were _allowed _to be out!" Aurora sneered at Didi, who was smirking as she reclined on her bed in her locked bedroom. They'd been caught by her mother- well, Didi had been caught- and escorted home roughly, quickly, and sent to bed without supper.

"I _am,_" Didi retorted. "Just not right _now._ During the day, silly. But it doesn't matter, I can just get out again, I always do. My mom doesn't know how I do it, and she has no _way _of _ever finding out. It's great!_" She laughed, and threw herself back on her pillow.

"Whatever," Aurora snorted and shook her head. "I followed you, helped you sneak in, got you some food and a bit of wine, and hid you as best as I could. Now it's time to return the favor."

The child glanced curiously at her invisible friend. "When were we making deals like that?"

"Since now."

She stepped up menacingly, but Didi hardly flinched.

"Now tell me- how can you _see _me? Why can I see you? What's the deal? The three dimensional world can see you, but not me, what's up with that?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"That was only four. _Tenez-fille._"

Didi sighed, looking down at her feet through the space between her knees on her bed.

"I dunno. Really, I don't. I'm not holding anything out on you, I swear. But I kinda know what it's like. To be invisible to the world, you know?"

Aurora was going to lash out at her, but calmed when she talked about her loneliness.

"There aren't a lot of kids to play with, you know? And, well, my dad's gone a lot. I don't know why. Maybe he doesn't like us. And my Mom works all night, so she sleeps during the day, so I don't really get to play with anyone. I have to go to school, and then help Mom with what she couldn't do when she got home."

"Tough life," Aurora commented, but she didn't sound sincere. She didn't _feel _sincere. She had her own problems to worry about. Didi hardly noticed.

"But it's fine. I could be a lot worse off." She turned her head in Aurora's direction, but didn't make eye contact. "I could have it like you did."

"Like I _did?_"

"You're here now, with me," Didi reminded her, "and I don't mind if you stay, but I can't make you do anything. I'm just a kid. I can't fix what needs fixing. I can't do _anything, _but gosh, do I try."

Suddenly, there's something about the kid's eyes that makes Aurora's head spin, and she takes a step back, thinking.

"You'd let me stick around? Really?"

"Why not? You're a lot like me. We get in trouble and do what we gotta do to get what we want."

"That doesn't mean what we do is _right," _she mumbled. The sun had begun to rise behind her, creating the illusion of a halo around her head. Didi stared with wonder until she scowled at her, snarling "What?"

"You look like an _angel," _Didi murmured. A hand darted out to touch her, but like the rest of the humans, though she could see her, it phased right through her body. Aurora sighed, backed away, and stared out the window.

"Forget about it, Kid. I can't be touched."

"Dawn."

She rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Dawn. That's what I'm going to call you. Because you look so pretty in the dawn. When the sun's coming up, you look like you came right out of heaven. For me. To be my friend..."

"Oh, ha!" Aurora laughed. "Don't get me started on friends, Kid. They don't last. They never do, you lose 'em as soon as ya get 'em it seem like, and then you go out and do the thing over and over again until you're an old lady stuck in bed, dying alone a horrible, sad death, because you didn't get to do what you wanted in life and there's no one around to-"

She regrets ever speaking up. Tears are streaming down Didi's eyes, and her expression is one of wild fear. Aurora rolls her eyes again, frowning.

"Ah, shit, don't cry, Kid- look, it's been like, five years since I've done the whole conversation thing, for Christ sakes- here, wipe your tears on my jacket-"

"NO!" Didi screams, shoving herself off the bed and away from Aurora. "Go away! You aren't nice! What's _wrong _with you!?"

Now it's Aurora's turn to look hurt. She wastes no time in leaping out the girl's window and disappearing into the daylight, leaving Didi to sob alone.

* * *

Dust has gathered in the mysterious, high up workshop of Vincenzo, on the desks he had ceased to use, on the wood he ceased to tread, and in the rafters he ceased to manipulate to practice his sorcery. Only one desk was used, and it was piled high with papers upon papers of sketches, full drawings, notes, plans, schemes and equations, most crumpled, some burned, some simply wrinkled, some even smeared with blood of the hasty and crazed.

And in a cot in the corner, the once great magician slept fitfully, face untrimmed, hair wildly askew, ash tray filled with discarded smokes. Aurora tsks at the sight, disappointed in what her old master has become.

It was after she'd left Didi's side that she had recalled who had put her here in the first place. In this hellish realm where the only living being who recognized she existed was a little brat who couldn't listen. The only living soul who could see her physical form, and she hated her with a fiery passion. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. A magician who could warp objects and creatures through time and space. A little girl who could see through dimensions well enough to realize that Aurora was there.

It was only logical to confront Artur about his mistake. Now fully aware of the abilities of her powers, she takes the shadow of the bed and lifts it. The physical bed itself follows, it and its inhabitant crashing to the wooden floor in a dazed, broken heap.

"Gah!" Vincenzo exclaimed when he was awake enough to realize he was falling- just a split second before his face collided with the ground below, the bed on top of him, sheets enveloping him clumsily. "Whazza- Ah! Who- why!?"

She kicked the bed to get his attention, but in seven years, it seems as though he has forgotten. So she kicks his shadow, in his butt, and he flies forward screaming, hurt and scared.

"Who's _there!?"_

"Oh, for the love of God, have you really become that dense?" Aurora groaned. She waves her arms on her place on the wall until Vincenzo sees her and finally remembers. Rather than crying out and attacking her shadow with affection like she knew _wouldn't _happen, but secretly longed for, he squints, and is quiet.

"... A... Aurora?"

She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, showing that she was not amused or here on a courtesy visit. It had been seven years, after all.

"Wh-wha? Wh-where have you been all this time, ___ma fleur?_"

She kicked his shadow's shin. _Do NOT call me that, _she seemed to say. Vincenzo got the message loud and clear.

"Why are you here?" He has his courage back, and is no longer afraid to question her.

After a difficult game of Charades, Vincenzo figures that Aurora has discovered his little "accident", and is not pleased. She knows about his bastard daughter, knows that there was an affair she was not aware of during her time among the majority. She then asks if he's had any success with finding a way to bring her back, but the answer is no.

"I've spent _months _at a time trying to find _anything _to bring you back, even if I would have had to bring you back dead so you could at least have a decent burial, but _nothing _has worked. I've spent hundreds of dollars on rabbits, pigs and monkeys to find a solution, but nothing has worked! Nothing!" He threw himself back on a chair, slouching, sighing, and pinching his chin wearily.

"But I won't give up, _mon ami. _I will work 'till my dying breath to help you. I won't have any other assistant!"

Go on with the show, she tells him. Stop hiding in the dark, Artur. It's not good for you. Trust me, she tells him. I would know. I've spent five years in the dark, not even being aware of my own actions or the world around me. Only recently have I been pulled from it, and it is because of your illicit child!

His head darts up, eyes wide with shock.

"My kid- daughter? What do you me- how do you even know it's her! Doesn't everyone appear as shadows to you? Even me!?"

Yes, she tells him, all except one. For some reason, I can see the _Tenez-fille. _And she can see me, _hear _me. And, much like you, she's only interested in her own escapades.

Vincinzo huffed. "That's rubbish. If I was interested in only myself, would I be taking the time so save you?"

You are taking that time to save your _assistant_. Other than knowing all your secrets, I'm expendable.

He did not have an argument for that. So he re-approached the topic of the girl.

"So... the k- my _daughter_- can _see _you?"

And hear me loud and clear.

Vincenzo, in a sudden flurry, used his shadow to grasp Aurora's shoulders. "You must protect her at all costs, Aurora! She may be the key to bringing you back to us! Please, I _beg _you, let no harm come to her! I know how she lives, and it's _not _good. Always sneaking out, and her father, always getting in trouble- Aurora, I _beg _you-"

The shadow brushed him away, and disappeared as the candles all went out at the same time. Vincenzo was left staring at where Aurora's shadow had once been.

* * *

She made sure not to tell Didi that she had only returned because she was her last potential chance at returning to the three dimensional world. When she climbed into the girl's window one day, she was staring at a picture of her father. He must be gone, Aurora assumed. As soon as Didi saw her, she smirked and folded her arms.

"Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Do you get that mouth from your Mother, or your Father?" she sneered back.

Didi swung her legs off of her bed and rolled her eyes. "Don't you have something better to do than insult me? How much spying have you been doing?"

"Enough to know your true colors. And they're a lot like mine." She sat on the floor, crossing her legs, and the little girl did the same. "Just like you said, kid. We got a lot in common, though we _really _don't want to admit it. Especially me." She ran a hand through her short hair awkwardly. "Look, I, uh, wanna make nice with you. Didi, right?" The girl nodded, smiling. It made Aurora's stomach churn. "Well, uh... what can I do to make it up to you, Didi? I really said a lot of things I shouldn't have, and-"

"I'm not gonna make you stay," Didi told her, and she was surprised. "But when you are here, since no one can see you, you're gonna help me get out when I want to to go see my mom perform at wherever she goes. And, if we're lucky, maybe you can help me sneak out to see my dad too. That's all I'm gonna make you do. Oh, and act as my bodyguard when you can. Deal?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, kid, but I'm not helping you get into trouble. That's not how I roll."

"Then I can just scream for my mom," Didi warned. "Eventually, she'll think I'm crazy, and so will everyone else. I'd like to see you follow me into an insane ward, Dawn."

"You wouldn't."

"And what if I did?"

"Dawn" gritted her teeth, venom seeping from her stare. "As much as I need you- your _company, _ I don't think I could do that. So fine. I'll help you."

Didi jumped to her feet and clapped her hands excitedly. "And I can help you too! I've seen how you can go into the shadows! I can give you lots to do, to play with, and it can help me too! It's a win-win! Come on, Dawn, don't be so down! I _promise _I'll be nice to you, I swear! Cross my heart and hope to die, and stick a baguette in my eye." The girl grossed her heart with her finger, then pretended to poke her eye out with an invisible length of bread.

"Bread's too thick to do that," Aurora commented, smirking. "Alright, what do ya wanna do first, kid?"

* * *

Twelve hours later, they snuck back into her room laughing with tears in their eyes.

"And-and did you see where it hit him!?" Didi shrieked with joy. "Right on his fat nose!"

"In the shadows, it looked like it went right through his head! Sucker!"

The girls laughed again, harder still, until they could come down from the bout of joy and catch their breaths.

"And what about when that girl's wig flew off? Oh, the look on her face was _priceless!_"

Aurora grinned broadly at Didi's happy expression, feeling quite sated of adventure herself. "But still, you could have gotten in a _lot _of trouble, _Tenez-fille_. I'm more than happy to help you get around, but next time, we will _not _be as daring. Understood?" She lowered herself to her knees and placed her shadow's hands on Didi's. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Really?" Didi was surprised.

"Yeah. You're a cute kid. B-but that's the only reason."

"Nah, I think you like me."

"I do _not,_" she protested, but deep down, she knew, that she'd grown ridiculously attached in the short amount of time they'd been together.

"Yeah you do. But it's okay, I won't tell anyone."

"_Didi!_" a distant woman's voice called. "_Who are you talking to?_"

Aurora hissed and shook Didi with her shadow.

"Don't tell her, Dorothy."

"Relax," she giggled. "She'll just think I have an imaginary friend. Lots of kids do." Didi turned her head and yelled down the stairs, "I'm talking to Dawn, Mom! She's been up here with me all day!"

There was a silence. Then:

"Alright, Didi. Have fun. Supper is in twenty minutes."

"See?" the girl smirked. "She thinks I don't have anyone up here."

Aurora nodded, impressed with the girl's logic. "Alright. You obviously know what you're doing. I'll give you that much. B-but be careful when you're talking about me, alright? I can't be alone again."

Those last five words surprised even herself. _I can't be alone again._

* * *

**_Three months later_**

* * *

"And?" Vincenzo asked eagerly.

"The kid's fine," Aurora told him through the slips of letters he'd put on the desk for her to arrange for her to speak to him. "She's quite a rambunctious _Tenez-fille_. Definitely needs more to eat. But it shouldn't be too hard to keep her in line."

"Good, good. Well, I've done as you've suggested, and I've prepared to do more shows again. The world is absolutely _thrilled _with the reappearance of the Great Vincenzo after so many years away. It seems as though they've forgotten about our little _incident_."

"It's for the best," Aurora said. "It's getting dark out there, metaphorically speaking. The youth could use some magic in their lives again, especially Didi."

Autur squinted at her shadow curiously. "Didi? Who is- oh. Ah, right. My daughter. Dorothy, then. You weren't kidding, were you, Kat?"

Aurora could tell that last sentence was not meant for her ears, so she did not comment on it. Kat must be Didi's mother, she assumed. Then, she realized; she'd called the kid by her name.

Damnit. She really was getting attached. It was just so _easy. _Didi was cute, and nice, and knew her way around a problem. And she could talk to her directly. That, of course, was an immediate bonus. And being with the kid gave her all kinds of opportunities to use her powers to their full extent.

"Well, now that I'm getting back on the stage, I'll have less time to take care of your problem, I hope you realize. But who knows? While I'm up there, _something _may hit me."

"Maybe," she agreed. "I need something to eat, now. I'm going to cave in here, Aurtur."

"Of course. You always had quite the appetite." He tossed some bread, and she caught it by the shadow and began to eat. She was gradually becoming more and more aware as to how to interact with three dimensional objects again by dragging them into the shadow world or simply using their shadow. Living things were still out of her depth.

As he began to drabble on again on some fourth dimensional nonsense, she began to wonder if she really _needed _to go back to the world of the physical. Now that the full potential of her powers were fully in her grasp, Aurora could live in this world of hers without a problem. And with Didi to keep her company- not to mention the kid would outlive her by a long shot- this solo existence didn't seem so bad anymore. She stared out the window as the sun began to rise once again, and smiled.

"Dawn, huh, Didi?" She took another bite of her bread as she mused to herself. "It's my favorite time. I think the name suits me. Good job. _Tenez-fille_."

* * *

_**One year later**_

* * *

The setting sun no longer irked Dawn the way it used to. It felt almost soothing for the cool breeze of night to fall on her pale skin. And the shadows created by streetlights and building interiors were interesting, to say the least. Moving shadows... now THOSE were the fun ones.

Didi's room looked nice in the evening. The record playing in the corner was too quiet to make out intelligent words or sounds, but the white nose was nice. As she walked to turn up the volume, a paper in the corner caught her eye. She stopped, stared, and picked it up. The picture made her smile. It was Didi and her family, all smiling and holding hands. If only that were a reality. Her father was gone again, just like he'd left and come back so many times before.

And her mother... God, that woman was always an emotional wreck. She could hardly handle herself without Johnny. Dawn rolled her eyes and was about to set the picture down, but there was a fourth figure that she had missed.

It was... herself. She was portrayed as Didi saw her most of the time- a very prominent shadow on the wall next to her. But she'd left space on her face to give her eyes and a smile, just like the rest of them.

The notion was... touching. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and folded the picture to hold onto for later reference if she ever felt she was being left out. Because of this picture, it was very, very clear that Didi cared about her very much. Didi would not forget her if Vincenzo found a way to bring her back and she left. Didi would always remember her, and Dawn would always remember Didi. Like a sister. Like a friend.

Like her savior from the dark.

* * *

_I was going to include the end of the end of the game too, but I'm at a loss as to how to explain it myself, so I hope this prequel will quench your thirst for Contrast writing, Artistican._

_-Dylawa_

_[There's no category for Contrast. *sobbing quietly in the distance*]_


End file.
